THE SS-AAEA QUIZBOWL: SUCCESS IN AND OUT OF THE CLASSROOM A THREE YEAR STUDY

A three year study of the Quizbowl participants and advisers reveals perceptions on how beneficial preparation for and participation in the SS-AAEA Quizbowl are in successfully completing related course work in eight areas of economics at their universities and how funding impacts performance. Additionally responses indicate overall satisfaction with Quizbowl event.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

IMPACTS OF UNIVERSITY FINANCIAL AND ACADEMIC SUPPORT ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE AT THE SS-AAEA QUIZBOWL COMPETITION AND IN THE CLASSROOM

A 2001 survey of SS-AAEA Quizbowl participants suggested potential benefits of the SS-AAEA Quizbowl Competition to students' academic performance. A new survey of quizbowl advisers is used with the previous data to determine the impact of a university's academic and/or financial support of participants on students' performances at the competition.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Quizbowl: Success In and Out of the Classroom, a Five Year Study

Scores of US and Canadian universities' undergraduate students participate in the SS-AAEA Quiz-bowl competition annually. Surveys of the 2001 through 2005 competition participants suggest how beneficial competition preparation and participation are in completing related university work and indicate factors which enhance chances of success in the competition.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Willingness to Pay for Water Availability in Northwest Arkansas

Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

PROFITABILITY OF VARIABLE RATE PHOSPHORUS IN A TWO CROP ROTATION

In the Midwest, the adoption of precision farming technologies began in the early 1990s. Research has produced profiles of early adopters, evaluated adoption trends and has identified factors that influence the adoption and profitability of precision farming. Importantly, this information is available to producers, who are interested in precision farming issues. In addition, the Midwest regional agricultural industry, strong promoters of precision farming technologies, has gained the confidence of farmers who now rely on them heavily for information on farming technologies. Precision farming in Arkansas, however, is still in its infancy. Adoption levels lag far behind those in the Midwest. Two reasons for this lag have been offered. First, some suggest that much of what is believed about the technologies in the state is based on hearsay or the results of small single farm case study analyses. Because these beliefs have not been rigorously substantiated with extensive empirical evidence it has not been possible to truly assess the status of adoption, to predict potential adoption trends, or to adequately advise farmers in a decision to include precision farming in their farm management plan. Second, others suggest that agricultural industry has not taken an active role in the promotion and sale of precision farming equipment and services. Without local availability, all the research in the world will not lead to adoption of technology in the state. The objective of this paper is to provide critical information to Arkansas agricultural producers, industry and extension with answers regarding 1) the current status of precision farming 2) the amount, source and effectiveness of precision farming promotion and 3) the potential future of precision farming in Arkansas. In the Spring of 1999, three groups, early adopters of precision farming technologies (EA), Cooperative Extension Service personnel (CES) and agricultural industry personnel (AI), were surveyed to ascertain the realities and perceptions of precision farming in Arkansas. The surveys included questions related to characteristics of early adopters, factors encouraging and hindering adoption, and the roles of CES and AI in the promotion of precision farming within Arkansas. The survey response rate was over 60 percent. To build profiles of Arkansas EA to compare responses regarding sources of precision farming information across all three groups three statistical tools were used to test hypotheses regarding factors which influence adoption. The surveys revealed that Arkansas EA are young, educated, computer using, experienced farmers controlling relatively large farms predominantly devoted to rice and soybean. These farmers currently employ yield and soil mapping, as well as VRT and GIS technologies in their operations. While many reasons (such as decreased costs, improved yields, and improved management capabilities) have been cited as factors that can encourage adoption, there are still any number of reasons why many Arkansas farmers have not yet adopted these technologies, including, technical difficulties, expense and unproven profitability. In addition, AI representatives see themselves as promoters of precision farming technologies in Arkansas while EA have cited instances of a lack of available equipment and also stated that they turn to CES rather than AI for farming information because they believe this is an unbiased source of information. The authors conclude that both reasons offered for the lag in adoption are likely and hope that these insights provide both the CES and AI representatives with information to help them focus their research and outreach activities so that more Arkansas producers can make informed decisions about precision farming.Crop Production/Industries,

How Attitudes of Important Stakeholder Groups Can Influence Effective Water Quality Management

Preliminary results of a survey of Lincoln Lake agricultural and non-agricultural watershed residents as well as water quality regulators/specialists suggests discrepancies exists in different groups perceptions of water quality, the sources of water pollution, and the roles of local, county, state and federal officials in meeting water quality objectives.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Q25, Q53, Q59,

Increasing Profitability of Small Scale Orchard Producers through Optimizing Replacement Rate: The Case Study of Ghana

This study sets out to empirically estimate the optimum annual replacement rate and age of cocoa trees in order to maximize the net present value of four common cocoa production systems. The study examines the costs and returns of four common cocoa production systems in Ghana associated with changes in cocoa prices, fertilizer prices, inflation rates, and labor prices. While this study focuses on cocoa, the methodology is applicable to any perennial crop. This study uses empirical yield curves and cost of production data from Ghana to determine when and what percentage of a cocoa orchard should be replaced annually to maximize net present value of revenues over time. Successive versions of the model are solved to determine how input and output price changes affect optimal replacement rates and replacement ages. Producers in both high- and low-income countries are reluctant to cull still productive assets, such as trees that are diminishing in yield over time. The Excel based model developed in this study could provide extension personnel with a simple yet powerful tool to illustrate to producers the benefits of systematic tree replacement. This study provides strong evidence of the benefits of replacing trees at the optimal time and rate.Cocoa, Replacement Rate, Net Present Value (NPV), Production Economics, Q01, Q15, Q32,

Cost and benefits of using best management practices to control non-point sources of pollution under environmental and economic uncertainty

The economy of northwest Arkansas, including the Lincoln Lake watershed (a sub-watershed of the Illinois River), relies greatly upon livestock and poultry production. The supply of production by-products is increasingly under scrutiny as one of the potential sources of water pollution in the region. In light of the recent economic crisis, methodologies that help producers to evaluate the environmental and economic impacts of several practices before implementing them may be a cost-effective means of increasing BMP adoption. This study uses stochastic dominance techniques to evaluate, environmentally and economically, ten best management practices (BMPs) combinations to lessen water pollution in the Lincoln Lake watershed. All BMP combinations analyzed were effective in reducing total phosphorous (TP) losses. However, six combinations also decreased net returns (NR) when compared to a baseline. This suggests that including BMPs in the bermudagrass production systems may lead to increased NR risk. Without additional incentives, producers will not likely implement these BMP combinations regardless of their TP reduction benefits. Although, as expected, rankings of BMP combinations in terms of TP or NR differed from each other, four scenarios established that environmental and economic goals are not necessarily conflicting; they may be complementary. Additionally, this analysis revealed that producers’ risk preferences did not matter when selecting among the top-four BMP combinations but it could be a factor for other less preferred scenarios.nonpoint pollution, watershed, best management practices, risk analysis, stochastic dominance, Environmental Economics and Policy, Risk and Uncertainty, Q25, Q53,

Running to Stand Still: Challenges Economists Face with Imperfect Data

Some suggest that land application of phosphorus rich poultry litter has negatively affected area waters' recreational value. However, key data are unavailable to conduct thorough economic analysis to aid in policy development. This paper examines the challenges associated with using limited economic analyses to construct policy to address this situation.Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Comparison of Factors Influencing Salaries of Agricultural Economics Professionals in Academic and Federal Employment

Results of two ordered probit models find differences in the major factors that influence salaries of agricultural economists employed in academia and in federal government. However some similarities were found; both sets of salaries were influenced by factors that measure job performance and neither set of salaries were significantly influenced by gender or ethnicity.Salary survey, job performance, Labor and Human Capital, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,